Petronas awards grants, signs new agreement to intensify human capital development in Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Petronas has reached a significant milestone in research collaborations and in intensifying its human capital development efforts in Sabah through two new initiatives that have been set in motion on Thursday.
The first is the award of grants, worth RM5.75 million, made under the ambit of the Petronas-Academia Collaboration Dialogue (PACD), to seven academicians from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
The grants will be used to carry out research in green energy-related fields such as clean energy storage system, bioenergy development, efficient hydrogen generation, as well as in operational efficiency through data science and artificial intelligence.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor, accompanied by Petronas Senior Vice-President of Malaysia Petroleum Management, Datuk Ir Bacho Pilong, presented the grants to Prof Madya Dr Mailin Misson, Ir Dr Mohd Azlan Ismail, Dr Zarina Amin, Dr Ng Chi Huey, Dr Nazrein Adrian Amaludin, Dr Goh Poh Wah and Dr Ervin Gubin Moung at Menara Kinabalu, here.
The second initiative is the signing of an agreement between Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF). Both institutions will collaborate to offer the UCSF-UTP Foundation Programme, a one-year foundation programme based on UTP foundation curriculum structure.
This collaboration will pave the way for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia top achievers from Sabah to undergo foundation studies at UCSF. Upon completion of the one-year foundation programme at UCSF, students will have the opportunity to pursue their bachelor’s degree in science and engineering programmes at UTP campus in Perak.
Signing the agreement, UTP was represented by its Vice Chancellor Professor Dato’ Ts Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib while UCSF was represented by its Vice-Chancellor Dr Rafiq Idris. The ceremony was witnessed by Hajiji, accompanied by Bacho.
Hajiji lauded Petronas’ green energy and human capital development initiatives to complement Sabah’s priority in these sectors.
“This will benefit Sabah’s quest to explore and promote sustainable solutions in energyrelated fields that align with global sustainability goals.
“This is where industries are moving towards globally, and the State Government wants to ensure this is also adopted locally,” he said.
Bacho said science and engineering remain pivotal to Petronas’ trajectory in the evolving energy landscape.
“As we navigate towards a sustainable tomorrow, unlocking the potential of local talents is integral in driving progress and shaping a resilient future for Sabah.
“By leveraging on the expertise of universities, we believe these collaborative efforts will help the nation in navigating through challenges, seize forthcoming opportunities and at the same time, rise to meet the dynamic industry demand for technological advancements,” he added.
The inaugural PACD was held in 2021, where 11 universities were selected to collaborate with Petronas Research Sdn Bhd. In 2023, the biennial PACD saw 52 projects chosen from 23 universities nationwide.
The agreement is the continuation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two institutions in October 2022 to explore collaborations in the fields of academics, research, and student exchange programmes.